Pubdate: Fri, 28 Jan 2000 Source: Seattle Times (WA) Copyright: 2000 The Seattle Times Company Contact: P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111 Fax: (206) 382-6760 Website: http://www.seattletimes.com/ Author: George Gedda, The Associated Press WHITE HOUSE ACCUSED OF HAMPERING WAR ON DRUGS WASHINGTON - A key House subcommittee chairman is accusing the Clinton administration of sabotaging the war on drugs by sharply reducing the Pentagon's ability to stop U.S.-bound shipments. Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., based his accusation on a report by congressional investigators that said the number of flight hours devoted to counterdrug missions declined 68 percent from 1992 through 1999. The report by the General Accounting Office in December also said the number of ship days involved for the same purpose fell 62 percent during that period. "This report confirms that the war on drugs did not fail, but rather was dismantled by the Clinton administration," Mica said yesterday at a hearing of his House Government Reform subcommittee on criminal justice, drug policy and human resources. Mica reacted sharply when Ana Maria Salazar, a deputy assistant secretary of defense, said the Pentagon remains committed to the administration's counterdrug strategy. "I find this hard to believe," Mica said. "I find the war on drugs has been sabotaged." Salazar said budget cuts for defense in the post-Cold War era have had an impact on the drug war, including a $200 million cutback in 1994. She also said radar planes were diverted from counternarcotics activities and redeployed to Bosnia and the Middle East to help meet other military priorities. Jess Ford, an analyst for the GAO - Congress' investigative branch - said the Florida-based U.S. Southern Command told the GAO the Pentagon was unable to meet 57 percent of the command's requests for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance flights during the past fiscal year. Ford said the Southern Command believes the lack of assets hurts its ability to respond quickly to changing drug-trafficking patterns. - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk